The White House Just Lifted Restrictions on Cannabis Research

Up until now, all marijuana research that is not funded by the government must go through a Public Health Service review, a requirement that applies to cannabis research only; no other controlled substances listed as Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act are subject to the same process. As a result, the review process has been criticized by researchers and lawmakers alike.

The Public Service Health review was established in 1999 to ensure that all studies were scientifically valid, but often created a barrier for new studies. One must submit the scientific proposal to the Food and Drug Administration and be approved based on the “scientific validity and ethical soundness” of the project. After jumping this hurdle, the study must also be approved by the Public Health Service board, and only then would the researchers be granted a cannabis permit from the Drug Enforcement Administration and receive a portion of government-grown cannabis from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which controls the only legal, federally-grown cannabis in the United States for research purposes. Read More…